New York: After his Pit Bull knocks girl off, chases and mauls her pony, Bill Berdeck claims his dog is "friendly and sweet"

NEW YORK -- A 26-year-old pony named Tango, who is retired from giving children lessons, was severely attacked by a dog on October 12.

Allison Vidro, the daughter of Tango’s owner, said she was riding the pony through a public trail in Walworth when she saw two unleashed dogs, a Pit bull and Black Lab, came running toward them.

The Pit bull then allegedly attacked the horse.

“It tore the muzzle apart,” said Lea Dill, a Walworth Animal Control Officer. “Lacerations on the side, bite marks on the chest and legs. Her muzzle did have big staples in it to hold it together and everything. At that time, the horse took off because of the attack and Allison fell off her horse."

Vidro said when she got up, all she saw was “Tango run through the trees with the dog hanging off of Tango’s face.”

Allison's mother, Laurie Vidro, saw Tango galloping down the road with a dog chasing the horse, with her daughter no longer in the saddle. Allison was down the road with another dog, a chocolate lab that was associated with the incident, as the horse, with a pit bull dog in tow, entered the Vidro’s property.

Allison had not been seriously injured after being thrown, meanwhile Tango was still being chased by the pit bull. Laurie ran towards the horse screaming “Stop it, stop it!”.

The dog’s owner pulled up in a car. “Your dog just attacked my daughter and my horse, she said.”

BLAME VICTIM

In response, the Pit Bull's owner said, “Your horse kicked my dog.” The dog’s owner has been identified as William R. Berdeck, age 34, of 3046 Chili Avenue in Rochester.

Meanwhile, Trooper Jordan Szklany, responded to a report of two dogs attacking a horse in the vicinity of 4384 Canandaigua Road in Walworth. He located and secured the chocolate lab, then observed the second dog, a black pit bull, still actively pursuing the horse in an open field.

"A good Samaritan had picked up Allison after her fall,” Dill said. “The dog pursued Tango in his pasture trying to attack him more. A trooper arrived and finally commanded the dog to stop and the dog complied."

“I yelled at the dog to stop and [it] complied. I then observed the horse to have large lacerations on its throat and muzzle,” wrote the Trooper in his statement.

OWNER FLED WITH BITE DOG

Allison was then able to get Tango and put her in her stall. The owner put his dog in the car and left in the same direction of the trail.

“When I rounded the corner, the scene was horrific. My daughter was kneeling down in Tango’s stall staring up at several severe open, flesh hanging, blood dripping wounds all over Tango’s face, chest and front legs. 

"I first made sure Allison was not injured. She stated her right leg hurt, seemed very shaken up but okay as her tears flowed,” recalled Laurie.

 

 

Tango’s breathing labored and she was drenched in sweat. Laurie feared she would collapse from exhaustion alone from being chased for so long.

SURPRISED OWNER (REALLY "IN DENIAL OWNER")

While waiting for the vet to arrive, the dog owner contacted Laurie by phone to tell her how "wonderful" his dog is and he has "never seen it act like this before" and to keep him posted. 

“I did not know what to say except my pony was in very bad shape and my daughter and I were devastated.

The vet arrived and it took her approximately four hours, anesthesia, pain medication, multiple injections of Novocain and approximately 70 stitches and staples to put the pony back together.

Laurie and Allison monitored Tango until 2 AM. Tango was given daily oral pain medicine and antibiotics and put on rest until well healed.

The dog's owner Bill Berdeck claims the Pit bull was on a leash and broke free when he saw the horse. He said his four-year-old Pit Bull is “friendly and sweet and this has never happened before.”

Berdeck is being cited for a ‘Dangerous Dog’ charge and will be issued an appearance ticket for Walworth Town Court. The black lab owner was not cited as it appeared to be under verbal control of its owner during the incident.

According to Walworth Animal Control Officer, Lea Dill, the pit bull owner will be required to pay the vet bills and the Walworth Judge will determine the fate of the dog.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Wayne Times - Nov 4, 2017 and 13WHAM)

Earlier:

• New York: Pit Bull "viciously attacked Tango and was hanging off her face as Tango tried to get away"

New York: Pit Bull "viciously attacked Tango and was hanging off her face as Tango tried to get away"

NEW YORK -- Allison Vidro added 9 new photos to Facebook October 13, 2017 ·

PUT YOUR DOGS ON A LEASH!!!!!!!!!!

Last night Tango and I were riding a public trail down the road we frequent and were confronted by two unleashed dogs [later identified as a Pit Bull and a Labrador - the media story says only the Pit Bull attacked the horse]

One of them viciously attacked Tango and was hanging off her face as Tango tried to get away. 

Tango was tough as nails and patiently waited 4 hours for the amazing Doctor Hutten to stitch her back together. She is doing well and happily eating her hay. Thank you everyone for your messages and worrying for us. This has been an absolute nightmare.

Stephanie Megan - I'd press charges honestly against the owner of the dogs! That is so so horrible! That poor horse! Probably In so much pain before the doctor arrived especially! Don't forget to post on the page for others to see who ride/walk that trail! Hope you didn't get hurt? Are you ok?

Margot Loughrie - OMG, how traumatic this must have been for you both!! Press charges, the dog was clearly not under control. Hope you both recover quickly x

Yvonne Gallagher - Hope your poor horse recovers well.... any dog which has bitten this badly should be shot!

Juanita Nicholas Gaver - Carry a pistol and use it

Susann Warshaw Meyer Thomas - I have never heard of dogs attacking a horse

Update:

• New York: After his Pit Bull knocks girl off, chases and mauls her pony, Bill Berdeck claims his dog is "friendly and sweet"

California: Woman and her horse attacked by Pit Bull while the owner "just stood there and watched". Animal Control handed the Pit Bull back to its owner.

CALIFORNIA -- Maxi, a five-year-old horse who resides at the Canyon Lake Equestrian Center, is recovering after being mauled by a dog during an early morning trail ride.

Maxi was playing in the water at the jump lagoon when her owner, Dori Lowe, first notice a woman with a dog off leash. Dori describes the dog as a pit bull mix.

 

 

Thirty minutes later, Dori was on the trail behind the baseball fields when she spotted the woman and dog again.

Dori said she was riding Maxi when the dog ran up them and started biting on her boots.

PIT BULL OWNER MINIMIZES DANGER

“The dog’s owner [claimed] her daughter use to have a horse and the dog loves to play with boots and stirrups,” said Dori.

Dori turned Maxi around with the hopes of getting the dog to go away. Instead of stopping, the dog grabbed Maxi’s tail and started pulling her.

“Once the dog tore the tail wrap, the dog bit both of Maxi’s legs and her stomach,” said Dori. “I couldn’t get the dog to stop and the woman [owner] just stood there and watched.”

After the dog attacked Maxi, it went for Dori.

The dog tore her pants, grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her off the horse. Once Dori fell off the horse, the horse took off running towards the barn.

“I turned around to look back at the women and she [the owner] was just walking away back towards the jump lagoon [as if nothing had happened],” said Dori.

Dr. McNeel happened to be at the barn when Maxi returned without her rider. He attended to her wounds immediately.

“Fortunately when a horse runs to the barn without a rider, good friends are there to help,” said Dori.

Maxi suffered severe bite wounds to her stomach and both legs. Dori had scratch marks on her leg where the dog tore her pants.

After reporting the incident to the Riverside Police Department, Animal Control and Canyon Lake Community Patrol, Dori took to social media in hopes of finding the dog’s owner. Her efforts paid off.

Dori discovered that the dog’s owner is a Canyon Lake resident who resides on Longhorn Dr. She reported the information to the authorities who located the owner.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *
  
VICIOUS DOG GIVEN BACK TO OWNER

According to Animal Friends of the Valleys Animal Control Officer Monique Middleton, the dog’s owner received a $100 Administrative Citation for violation of Running at Large and was put on a 36-month probation Public Safety Order.

As a condition of probation, the dog must be on a leash no longer than six-feet and wear a muzzle when in public for the next three years.

“These measures are taken to protect the public,” said the officer.

Officer Middleton confirmed that the dog was vaccinated and up-to-date on its shots, but was not licensed. The owner was cited for a license violation.

Y'know, there are a lot of dogs that chase livestock. They can't help themselves. However, there are not too many dogs that chase and ATTACK livestock and also attack human beings trying to stop them. 

This dog WILL attack again; it has no qualms whether it's a human being or a 1,000 pound animal. Just wait and see...

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

WHY DIDN'T ANIMAL CONTROL GET A JUDGE TO ORDER THAT THIS UNNAMED PIT BULL OWNER PAY THE MEDICAL BILLS (AND PAIN AND SUFFERING) FOR ALL THE VICTIMS???

Dori said the dog’s owner has not reached out to her and, to her knowledge, has not been to the barn to check on Maxi.

Although Maxi’s wounds are beginning to heal, the horse is still traumatized and depressed, and reluctant to come out of her stall.

“She’s been taken off her pain medicine since her ulcers are also a concern. She’s on antibiotics for her open wounds,” said Dori. “We’re just trying to make her as comfortable as possible.”

Since the incident, Maxi has received many visitors at the barn. Dori said she is grateful for the support of the community and her friends at the barn.

“Maxi loves the attention and the carrots she’s been getting from the kids. It is so sweet to know that Maxi is loved by such kind people in the community.”

(Friday Flyer - June 23, 2017)

Texas: Woman and her horse attacked by a pack of dogs. She shoots and kills the pit bull which she says was "leading the pack"

TEXAS -- A 44-year-old Plato woman reported on May 19 that a pack of dogs had attacked her while she was horseback riding near her Highway AP residence.

The woman stated that a pit bull that was leading the pack had to be shot to stop attacking.

The woman told an investigating deputy she didn’t know who owned the pit bull or other dogs. The officer was not able to locate the other dogs or their owners.

(Houston Herald - May 22, 2017)

Earlier stories about dogs attacking horseback riders and their horses:

• California: Animal Control Still Seeking 2 Dogs, Owner In Pit bull - Horse Attack
• California: Horse, rider survive vicious pit bull attack

• Maryland: Woman falls from horse during dog attack on Harford trail
• Massachusetts: Pit bull chased horseback rider in Brewster
• Ohio: The story of Blue
• California: SFPD Statement on Decision in Vicious & Dangerous Dog Investigation

Officer Eric Evans stands with police horse Stoney,
who was attacked by the pit bull while on patrol.

• California: Woman hurt, several horses bitten after dog attack in Trabuco Canyon
• New Zealand: Racehorse mauled in vicious dog attack
• California: OC Animal Care locates owner of dog that attacked horses, rider in O'Neill park

• United Kingdom: Pensioner "lucky to be alive" after dog attacks his horse
• United Kingdom: Woman thrown from horse after dog attack
• California: Owner of pit bull that attacked police horse and officer tries to keep it from being put down

• United Kingdom: Horse owner furious after dog attack
• United Kingdom: Young horse rider 'shaken' over dog attack
• California: Owner of pit bull in attack on police horse says his dog isn't aggressive

• United Kingdom: Horse owner 'taken for ride' after dog attack
• North Carolina: Girl, Horse Fend Off Pit Bull Attack
• California: Horses attacked by loose pit bull on Fiesta Beach

• New York: Police horse recovering after pit bull attack
• United Kingdom: Man and boy walking pit bull unable to control it when it breaks loose to attack a horse and rider. Afterwards, they run off with the dog

California: Horse, rider survive vicious pit bull attack. Owner grabbed dog and fled

CALIFORNIA -- Animal control officers are trying to determine if a pit bull that viciously attacked a horse in the East County is the same dog that attacked a rider three years ago.

Stacey Russell and a friend were out riding on Quail Canyon Road in unincorporated El Cajon Sunday afternoon when a loose pit bull came charging from a house. Russell said the dog lunged at her horse's neck.

  

"When the dog came, I took my foot out of the stirrup and kicked the dog in the head to get him away from his neck," Russell told 10News.

The 26-year-old horse, named Rapture, is blind in one eye. Russell said the dog would not back down.

"He hit against Rapture and Rapture spun and went down and I went the other direction and came down on my back and my head," she said. "I really thought I was watching my horse being torn alive, torn to death, just shredded."

The horse suffered large flesh wounds on his legs and hind quarters, but is expected to recover.

While Russell was down on the ground, she said the dog chased her horse for more than half a mile. Fellow rider Cheryl Paz took off after the dog.

 

 

"I ended up trampling over the dog with my horse and I had a crack whip in my hand so I started beating the dog on the head and finally he rolled onto the street and kind of just stopped stunned there," said Paz.

"PIT AND RUN" - OWNER FLED WITH PIT BULL
They said the owner was yelling after the dog and then someone came by in a car, grabbed the dog and sped off.

Russell said another rider was attacked by a pit bull matching the dog's description outside the same house three years ago.

"They said that the dog is from Pennsylvania and he's from Pennsylvania, but three years ago they said the dog was from L.A. and he was from L.A.," said Russell.

Where the pit bull lives

San Diego County Animal Control is still investigating. The owner could be cited for creating a public nuisance.

"Unfortunately, the dog is dangerous. He needs to be put down. I have pit bulls. I think it's the owners that cause the problems with any kind of dog," said Russell.

The woman attacked in 2011 did not pursue charges.

It's 50% this woman's fault because she refused to press charges and try to get the dog declared dangerous or euthanized. She probably was one of those apologists who felt sorry for it, willing herself to believe it was "trained to be mean". 

Russell has already filed a complaint.

"I think the owner needs to be in jail or something severe needs to happen to him for allowing this dog to be like this and to let it run free," she said.

Russell rescued Rapture 15 years ago from inhumane conditions. She now runs Rapture's Horse Rescue Foundation in El Cajon.

(10News - Dec 31, 2014)

Massachusetts: Pit bull chased, tried to attack horse and rider in Brewster. Pit Bull chases them for THREE MILES!

MASSACHUSETTS -- Out for a ride on the beach before the summer rush, a Chatham woman said a dog lunged at her and her horse Thursday, chasing them for miles before giving up.

Jacqueline St. Thomas, 47, was out riding her 12-year-old Irish sport gelding, Stone, before 2 p.m. at Linnell Landing when she spotted two people with three dogs, she said.

One of the three dogs took interest and "made a beeline" toward them, she said.

A person was running after the dog, yelling for it to stop, but it continued its pursuit, St. Thomas said.

Recognizing she should not act like prey, St. Thomas rode toward the dog, which initially caused it to back down, she said.

The dog, which she said was a pit bull, began circling Stone. "I didn't realize how dangerous it was until it lunged toward us," she said.

The dog tried to bite Stone's shoulder and throat, she said. When they turned to flee, the dog jumped toward Stone's hind end and then gave chase, St. Thomas said.

"I have a GPS to track my rides, and he was chasing us for 3 miles," she said. "It was intent on biting my horse."

She called Brewster police and filed a report with the animal control officer.

Most of the details of St. Thomas' account were confirmed by Brewster police Capt. Heath Eldredge via an email sent to the Times Friday.

"It did not appear the horse's skin was broken at all," Eldredge said.

OK, great trying to minimize it. So what if it "didn't break the skin"? Have you ever been terrorized and chased by a dog for three miles? Knowing that if it caught you, it would kill you? 

Police were unable to find the pit bull; the other two dogs, identified as retrievers; or their owners, Eldredge said.

Worried the situation could have been worse, St. Thomas said the dog is a danger and should not be off its leash in public.

"I usually ride with my daughter and her pony," she said, "and it could have definitely reached them."

(Cape Cod Online - April 06, 2013)

California: Man Shoots Pit Bulls That Attacked Horse, Rider

CALIFORNIA -- A 24-year-old man shot at two pit bulls, killing one, as the dogs attacked a woman and her horse on a San Dimas equestrian trail on Saturday, police said.

The equestrian, identified as Yvette Picconi, 47, was riding her horse, Mecca, on a trail near the San Dimas Equestrian Center when dogs got loose from either a residence or a pit bull dog rescue facility, officials said.


What does that mean? They think the dogs escaped from a pit bull rescue facility???? Why would anyone say that unless they had an idea that that's where the dogs came from?

Picconi suffered minor scrapes in the attack that happened near Foothill Boulevard and Walnut Avenue just before 9 a.m., officials said. The woman's horse suffered a 10-inch gash on its leg.

“She's distraught, horribly distraught,” said Shelley Kresan of her friend Picconi. “After the first bite, the horse tried to run off. And the horse collapsed with my friend still on the back of the horse ...”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said a neighbor who saw the attack tried to beat the dogs off using a flashlight.

The man called for help when one of the dogs latched onto the horse and locked down on its leg.

A relative of that person, identified as John Eichler, 24, of San Dimas, used a rifle to shoot the dog, killing it, said Lt. David Vega, of the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

“They had to shoot him several times to get him to stop,” Vega said, adding that no arrests were made.

Kresan said she believes the man’s quick action saved her friend’s life.

“It could've been a lot worse,” Kresan said.

Officials said the other dog was taken by animal control officers, who will decide whether to cite or charge the dogs’ owners. The dogs may have come from a yard of a residence or a pit bull rescue, officials said.

Again, why are they saying this? That the dogs "may have come from a pit bull rescue"? This tells me that that is EXACTLY WHERE THEY CAME FROM - and they just don't want to say it. 

(nbclosangeles - Feb 23, 2013)

Maryland: Woman falls from horse during Pit Bull attack on Harford trail

HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND -- A woman who was riding along a trail at the Deer Creek Preservation Area in Street was knocked off her horse after it was attacked by a pit bull early last week.

The attack was the second in this month in Harford County involving a pit bull and other animals.

The woman, 35, of the 300 block of East Jarrettsville Road in Forest Hill, told police she and a friend, were riding their horses in the Deer Creek trail around 6 p.m. May 15 when they saw two men and a young girl, who had two pit bull terriers with them, walking toward them from the opposite direction.

The horseback riders said they turned their horses around and tried to leave the trail, according to a Harford County sheriff’s deputy’s report, when the dogs came near the horses.

One of the women told police she pulled out an air gun and pulled the trigger several times and yelled at the dogs to try and scare them off.

One of the dogs was under the legs of one of the horses, trying to bite its legs. The woman said her horse went under a low branch and she was knocked off.

The woman who fell was taken to Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore by an ambulance from the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company.

PIT BULL OWNERS FLED WITH THEIR MAULERS

The people with the dogs came off the trail, got into an older white or light gray Chrysler or Oldsmobile and left.

The horses were returned to their stables, and police said one had bite marks on its front legs.

The case was referred to animal control for investigation.

On May 12, sheriff’s deputies were called to a neighborhood in Fallston where a pit bull had attacked two smaller dogs.

According to the police report of the incident, the owner was not home at the time of the attacks and told investigators she was not aware the dog had gotten loose.

(The Aegis - May 23, 2011)

North Carolina: Girl, Horse Fend Off Pit Bull Attack; dogs quarantined but then what? Hand them right back to the owner so they can kill a child next time?

NORTH CAROLINA -- Days after it was attacked by a pit bull, a Hoke County horse is ready to compete in the Stoneybrook Steeplechase on Saturday.

Twelve-year-old Casey Rounds was riding her horse, Diesel, from her home to the Carolina Horse Park last Sunday when a pit bull began chasing the horse.

"This pit bull was chasing and biting his heels, but we kept going and outran him," Casey said.

But the pit bull wasn't done. As Casey and her mother rode home, the dog attacked again, chasing Casey and Diesel to an intersection where they had to stop because of traffic.

"It was a nightmare in front of my eyes. I kept worrying about Casey and the horse," Michelle Rounds said.

"I was trying to kick him with my foot to get him off. Then, (Diesel) reared up," Casey said, adding that she fell off the horse but landed on her feet. "Then I was on the ground, kicking the dog, and (Diesel) started running."

Diesel harnessed all his horsepower and outran the dog, finding his way home on area trails.

The dog punctured the horse's side and tore at his chest.

Local animal control officers took custody of the pit bull on Wednesday and will keep it in quarantine for 10 days.

And then what? Hand it right back???

The dog's owner declined to comment on Friday.

But Casey said Diesel hasn't run out of gas. After a week of rest, he will be ready to run in the steeplechase, she said.

"I'm planning on winning," she said.

(WRAL - April 6, 2007)